The mission of Arizona's Yavapai County Master Gardeners
is to provide the best science-based gardening information available. Through this blog we will
try to keep you posted on what's happening in
area gardens and what the Master Gardeners
are doing.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

CACTUS CLUB FORMING IN PRESCOTT AREA

A local cactus club is forming in the greater Prescott area. Membership is open to anyone interested in growing, observing or photographing cacti and other succulents (including agaves, aloes, euphorbias, sedums, and yuccas).

The idea for a club originated with a program on cold hardy succulents given by Gene Twaronite, Instructional Specialist with the Yavapai County Cooperative Extension. A number of people at the program suggested forming a cactus club for this region.

The club as envisioned, according to Twaronite, would be informal, meeting perhaps once a month at various home gardens. The main purpose would be to bring together cactus lovers of all ages and backgrounds to share their knowledge, cuttings, and gardens with others. As the club progresses, there might also be occasional guest speakers or field trips to local natural areas to view some of our native succulents.

When not teaching about Firewise landscaping to area residents, Twaronite is an avid cactus and succulent enthusiast, who grows and displays many different species in his five acre wild garden in west Chino Valley.

Anyone interested in a local cactus club is invited to call Gene Twaronite (928 445-6590 ex. 231 or e-mail (twaronit@cals.arizona.edu).

Yavapai County, Arizona

Arizona can be a harsh environment to garden in. It's also tough because there is so much variety in the geography of the state. In Yavapai County elevations vary from 3000 to 6000 feet. Definitely not a one-size-fits-all environment. We all share the hot summers, some hotter than others, water issues and a desire to garden.